On November 12, 2004, the day Yasser Arafat was buried in
Ramallah, I landed in Ben Gurion airport. Ten days earlier I had watched
a team of professional movers disassemble my cozy Manhattan apartment
and stuff the contents into 117 cardboard boxes bound to follow me
across the Atlantic to my new home, Tel Aviv. After the movers left I
stood alone in the bare-walled living room and in the eerie silence I
questioned my decision to relocate. Only my closest friends knew that
rationality wasn’t the principle guiding my move; my decision was
informed by the call of intuition. The synchronicity of these two events
– my arrival and Arafat’s departure – made an odd impression on me. I
was overcome by the sense that I was been guided to the Holy Land by the
veiled hand of Destiny. My lingering doubts about the move evaporated. I
was sure I was in the right place, though I still didn’t know why.

I found a sunlit flat in south Tel Aviv and settled into my
new life. Winter crossed over into spring. One afternoon, as I was
nostalgically leafing through a dog-eared Wilberian tome,I
decided to learn more about the local Integral community. Although I was
hobnobbing with a group of hip trendsetters I longed for the company of
Integral companions. A few weeks later at a lecture on Integral Kaballah
at Rabbi Marc Gafni’s center in Jaffa I met Oren Entin and Neri Bar-On,
the co-founders of the Integral Israel Salon. I recognized them as
kindred souls and I joined their group. After a few meetings I noticed a
pattern recurring whenever we met. Invariably any topic we brought up
for discussion eventually shape shifted into the same subject matter: Spiral Dynamics and the Middle East conflict.

Spiral
Dynamics is a theory co-developed by Don Beck that models the way value
systems evolve in individuals and societies. According to the theory
values are adaptive codes of intelligence that develop in sequential
order to deal with problems of increasing degrees of complexity. Each
value system is like a pair of prescription glasses that filters
consciousness through a unique perspective. The theory identifies seven
value systems that have evolved cross-culturally over the sweep of human
history and an eighth that is emerging.
For ease of reference the eight systems are assigned color
codes, each of which represents the core value that governs the social
dynamics at that level of development. They include: Beige (survival),
Purple (safety), Red (power), Blue (authority), Orange (progress), Green
(humanitarianism), Yellow (integral development) and Turquoise (holistic
self-awareness).

The members of the salon used the language of Spiral
Dynamics to analyze the deep level structures fueling the strife between
Israeli and Palestinian societies. We analyzed the inter- and
intra-group dynamics of both cultures and speculated about the policies
local leaders and the International community could orchestrate to
precipitate a regional transformation of consciousness that would uplift
values from egocentric Red, to ethnocentric Blue, to
worldcentric Orange values and beyond. As our discussions became
progressively more insightful we became increasingly frustrated that the
discourse was limited to our small talking circle.

Late one evening Neri and I were swiping clean a plate of
hummus with oven-fresh baked pita bread in the old Yemenite Quarter. Our
conversation was commandeered by the powerful Spiral Dynamics Middle
East magnet.

After a lull I blurted out. “Let’s invite Don Beck to
Israel.” My enthusiasm crested. “He used Spiral Dynamics to pave the way
for the smooth transfer of power between F.W. DeKlerk and Nelson Mandela
in South Africa. Maybe he can help Israelis and Palestinians build a
bridge across our great cultural divide.”

Neri leaned back on his plastic chair and looked up at the
stars.

“That would be amazing.” His eyes were twinkling. “But I
have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Don is a busy man. How do we get him here?”

“I don’t have a clue.” I replied. “But I do know one
thing. This region is poised for transformation and I believe Don can
help jumpstart the process. We’ll figure out a way.”

The answer to Neri’s question came a few weeks later from
an unexpected quarter. Destiny pointed the way forward through a series
of incredible synchronicities: In early June I learned that I had to
return to New York at the end of the month to tend to some private
matters. A few days later Oren announced that he would also be New York
on business during the same period. Before leaving we learned that Don
Beck would be making his first-ever New York City presentation of Spiral
Dynamics on June 25th.

The stars were lining up.

Oren and I signed up for Don’s lecture. Although it was a
general presentation he continuously brought up Israel, Palestine and
Spiral Dynamics. The Middle East magnet was reeling him in too. We felt
like he was addressing us directly. The session ended. The moderator
announced break time. Oren and I felt a surge of energy well up inside.
The moment was ripe. We walked up to the front of the room. There was a
circle of people around Don. We waited on the sidelines until the crowd
thinned out. The three of us were standing alone. As I spoke I felt the
hard edge of time soften.

“Hi Don.” I said, “My friend Oren and I live in Israel.
We’re members of the Integral Israel Salon and we’d like to invite you
to come and make a presentation about Spiral Dynamics and the Arab
Israeli conflict.”

Don looked us over for a few seconds.

“All right.” He said. “Send me an email with more
information and we’ll work out the details.”

“Okay. We’ll be in touch.” Oren replied.

Don simply nodded and walked off.

The exchange lasted only a brief moment but Don had
accepted our invitation. I felt as though I was gliding through a lucid
dream.

Neri, Oren and I were fired up. Over the next six months
we worked diligently to plan his visit. I had never worked on a project
with Integral teammates. The experience was inspiring. We flex-flowed
our way through obstacles. There were no egotistical flare ups or
narcissistic power plays. The process unfolded naturally and Don’s
itinerary self-organized almost effortlessly.

Don arrived on February 4th
accompanied by Elza Maalouf and Susan Vance. Elza is an extraordinary
Lebanese woman who introduced Spiral Dynamics to the Arab world. Don
asked her to join him in Israel and she graciously accepted. Her
participation was invaluable. The admixture of a Texan and an Arab
jointly advocating an Integral view of the Middle East is a powerful
paradigm buster that short circuited rigid stereotypes on both sides.
Susan Vance is the able representative of John J. Smith, the visionary
sponsor that funded the entire project.

The trio spent a week in Israel. They met with influential
change-makers, academics and politicians in Tel Aviv, Bethlehem and
Jerusalem. Don met Professor Ephraim Ya’ar of Tel Aviv University the
creator of the Peace Index which tracks the crests and troughs of public
sentiment. He lunched with Gilead Sher, a senior Israeli negotiator of
the Camp David peace accords, and Dalia Rabin, the late Prime Minister’s
daughter. He presented the Spiral Dynamics to a group of professors at
Bar Ilan University. One of them was so enthused by the presentation
that he decided to teach a graduate level course on Spiral Dynamics next
semester. One evening Don and Rabbi Marc Gafni explored the relationship
between the human values and religion in a lively dialogue. On February
10th
Don and Elza made the first ever public presentation of SDi in Israel. One
hundred and fifty people attended.

With the help of Tom Christensen and Nafiz Rifaee, Elza
organized a packed day trip to Bethlehem. We crossed the separation
fence on the morning of February 7th. Don met with Salah Al Taamari, the
Governor of Bethlehem. Then he was introduced to three members of the
Palestinian Parliament: Mohmed Khalil Laham, Fouad Kareem Saliba and
Issa Abdul Hamid Qaraqi. Finally, Don and Elza co-presented Spiral
Dynamics to a group of forty people that included professors from
Bethlehem University, city council members and government employees.

Don’s message to Palestinians and Israelis was incisive
and insightful. The fundamental conflict in the Middle East, he
explained, is not between Jews and Muslims or Arabs and Israelis.
Framing the conflict in terms of race, ethnicity and religion clouds the
deeper level of complexity driving tensions. Spiral Dynamics considers
conflict through the lens of value systems. Palestinians and Israelis
can both express animistic Purple,
heroic Red, saintly
Blue, scientific Orange,
egalitarian Green and
integral Yellow perspectives. Each society is marked by its unique
value systems stack and its
cultural center of gravity
will determine the general character of the collective. This balance point
can shift up the Spiral of development or down, and at any level the
value system can be expressed in a healthy or unhealthy way.

A conflict resolution model that marginalizes the capacity
for collective human consciousness to transform is bound to develop a
narrow vision based on information derived exclusively from surface
level categories. Such a flatlander model is incapable of recognizing
that the perspective of an
emancipated Orange Muslim woman is more in alignment with the
perspective of an
emancipated Orange Jewish woman than the views of a
traditional Blue Muslim woman. It will lump Muslims and Jews into two
monolithic categories and remain insensitive to the vertical inter-group
dynamics that often drive the horizontal intra-group conflict. A model
that focuses exclusively on surface level variables will find itself
flat footed whenever it encounters a leap in human development.

Don emphasized that the topography of Palestinian and
Israeli values must be considered before the way forward can be mapped
out effectively. What do the value stacks of Israeli and Palestinian
society look like? Where are their centers of gravity situated? What is
the way forward? The following analysis is an initial evaluation based
on Don’s presentations during his week long visit to the region.

Palestine
and the Spiral:
Until recently life conditions in Palestine established the cultural
center of gravity at egocentric
Red. The chronic corruption that characterized Fatah rule was an unhealthy
expression of the
strongman Red value system. The rallying call of the Hamas election
for reform, lawfulness and accountability represents values rooted in
the orderly
Blue value system. The unexpected Hamas victory signals a shift to a
higher-level value structure in Palestinian society. But
fundamentalist Blue is an ethnocentric value system unable to rise
above the religious and racial identity that gives it meaning and
purpose. Authentic peace becomes possible only when the next system
emerges,
worldcentric Orange.

Israel
and the Spiral:
Before the second Intifada began the Israeli center of gravity registered
between liberal
Orange and humanitarian
Green. Disappointment with the failed peace initiatives and worsening life
conditions severely discredited the peace movement.
Conciliatory Green was weakened and nationalistic
Blue gained strength. But the favorable standing of the centrist Kadima
party on the eve of the election signals that Israeli society remains
solidly entrenched at strategic Orange. The Hamas victory did not
substantially alter Israeli support for Kadima. Unless the Israeli
center of gravity dips into zealous Blue, the nation remains
poised to strike a deal when an Orange Palestinian partner emerges.

The
way forward:
The Israeli and Palestinian centers of gravity are currently situated just
one value system apart, Israel rooted at Orange and Palestine budding
into Blue. From the perspective of Spiral Dynamics the values gap
separating Israeli and Palestinian societies has narrowed. But
conditions for peace are not yet ripe. Orange is the first worldcentric
value system to emerge on the Spiral and both sides must be centered at
that level before ethnocentric perspectives can be transcended. What can
be realistically expected from Blue centered Palestine are hudnas,
temporary agreements and long term ceasefires. A critical mass of Orange
values will have to develop in Palestine before conditions favoring
sustainable peace can emerge. When that level is reached the mutual
desire of both peoples to thrive and help thrive will naturally arise.
At that stage war becomes a dinosaur.

The international community can do much more to support
the natural process of regional development than simply offer the
parties money and technology. The inter-subjective dimension has to be
considered. Complex thinkers involved in shaping the geo-political map
of the region must take into account a new variable: the evolution of
human consciousness. Their reasoning will be greatly empowered by
incorporating the principles of Spiral Dynamics into their calculus.

Once upon a time France and England were bitter foes. They
fought bloody wars and perpetuated gruesome massacres. Both nations were
embedded in ethnocentric perspectives that legitimized their unholy
acts. Today the values of both countries are grounded above
ethnocentric
Blue on the Spiral. The French and Britons have not relinquished their
ethnic identities. Their cultural flavors remain as distinct as
bouillabaisse and roast beef. But both people have subordinated their
ethnocentrism to the liberal Orange and
humanitarian Green worldcentric values that inform their current
worldview. Someday, bloodshed between Israelis and Palestinians will be
as inconceivable as hostilities between Londoners and Parisians.

My Israeli integral friends and I are cautiously
optimistic that Don Beck can help unfurl the regional development of
consciousness like a fiery whirlwind across the desert sands. We are
deeply grateful for his courage and commitment to helping all parties
realize a brighter tomorrow. There is an old legend that the Messiah
will arrive in Jerusalem dressed in white. One day we booked a day tour
of the Holy City. As we entered the main plaza in front of the Western
Wall I noticed Don was wearing white trousers, a white polo shirt and
white sneakers.

I pointed out Don’s outfit to Neri.

“Do you think that’s just a coincidence?” I quipped.

Don was snapping pictures of the ancient Jewish Temple and
the Dome of the Rock rising above it like a golden sun.